My U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,219 discloses an immersion sampler in which metal mold halves are contained in a paperboard sleeve during the sampling procedure. A pin sample tube extends into the mold cavity for forming a pin sample. My U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,857 discloses various types of stream samplers for taking a sample from a flowing stream of molten metal as when metal is being poured into a ladle, etc. One of the objectives of every sampler is to facilitate retrieval of the sample from the mold halves as well as provide mold halves which are uniform and suitable for analysis. Controlling venting of molds, minimizing metal splash on the outside of the molds, good sample release and low cost are all desirable objectives.